Wrist tab



Sept. 12, 1967 R. F. BECKER 3,340,630

WRIST TAB Filed Dec. 6, 1965 1965 osczuaen I965 ML 3O 20 l 2 a 4 s e 1 a9 IO M l2 l3 I4 15 l6 :1 la I9 20 2| 22 23 24? 20 l6 I6 32 3 F I G 3INVENTOR RAYMOND F BECKER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,340,630 WRISTTAB Raymond F. Becker, 127 W. Walnut St., Villows, Calif. 95988 FiledDec. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 511,940 1 Claim. (Cl. 40-21) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A tab member having leg members mountable around a wrist bandin which the tab member is bent to a curvature corresponding to thecurvature of the wristband and bears useful indicia on its outer facesuch as a calendar.

This invention relates to a tab for mounting to wristbands.

The invention is more particularly concerned with a unitary tab havingindicia printed on the face in which the tab is formed with transverselyextending legs which are bendable around a wristband to affix the tab tothe wristband so that the indicia, integral with the front face of thetab, can be readily viewed by the wearer of the band.

Wristbands of the aforesaid character have previously been made inmultiple components or of relatively rigid materials and, as a result,have been difiicult to fabricate and are more subject to destructionduring normal usage. Other known devices for mounting indicia have beenformed of materials having little or no body; such as, for example, theformation of indicia bearing paper which can be pasted onto a band.

In the present device the entire structure is formed of a singlesemi-rigid but malleable structure with the indicia being printeddirectly onto the structure so that the entire unit comprises but asingle integral member of suflicient body to maintain itself duringnormal usage.

The curvature of a wristband varies with the size of the wrist of thewearer, thus, any device formed of rigid materials will have a curvaturesuitable for only one size wrist. In the present invention, the body ofthe tabular member is formed of malleable material which is bent uponinstallation to the wristband to a curvature conforming to the curvatureof the band as it is worn by the wearer. By virtue of the aforesaidcurvature, the indicia bearing member lies flatly and smoothly along theouter face of the band in a more substantial abutment than heretoforeobtainable with tabs formed of rigid materials.

It is noted that printed indicia on paper has been glued to the face oftabs analogous to the tab of the present invention; however, thecomposite structures have not had the adaptability of forming a bendcorresponding to the curvature of the band with sufiicient durability torender such structures practically usable. Thus, in the presentinvention, the completely integral structure incorporating the single,bendable body has the advantage of being freely bendable withoutendangering the severance of the indicia from the body during thebending phase of installation nor during conditions wherein the tab isfurther bent to conform to changing radii as may be required.

It is also noted that the material forming the tab has sufficientrigidity to maintain its shape under normal wearing conditions whichrenders it more stable against destruction during normal use. Theaforesaid feature renders the structure substantially superior tocompletely flexible structures as may have been heretofore used.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present Patented Sept.12, 1967 invention will be more apparent after referring to thefollowing specification and attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a planned view of the wrist tab of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the tab mounted on a wrist watchstrap.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation showing the device mounted on afragmentary portion of a strap.

The tab of the present invention comprises a sheet of sheet metal,preferably aluminum, formed in a generally H-shaped configuration inwhich there is provided a main body 15 having legs 16 extendingtransversely from the ends of the longitudinal edges 18 of main body(15.

The front face 20 of main body 15 is imprinted with indicia; such as,for example, a calendar representation. The indicia is directly printedonto the metal to maintain the tab as a one piece integral unit.

The aluminum forming the tab has sufficient rigidity to normallymaintain the tab in a semi-rigid condition and sufiicient malleabilityto allow the tab to be bent for mounting onto a wristband 30', asappears in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.

In mounting the tab on wristband 30, the rear face 32 of the main body15 is mounted directly over the wristband. Legs 16 are thence foldeddown and over the under side of wristband 30. Thereafter, the band isbent in a circular configuration equal to the configuration normallyencountered when the band is mounted on the wrist of a wearer. With theband in the aforesaid curvature, the main body is bent so that the rearface 32 conforms with the exterior curvature of wristband 30. In thiscondition, the combination of the band and tab is worn in theconventional wristband mode.

It is noted that the spacing between the longitudinal edges 18 is adistance equal to the width of the band upon which the tab is to bemounted.

While the principal embodiment of this invention has been described asbeing aluminum metal, other metals or plastics having similarcharacteristics of malleability or rigidity can equally well beemployed. The important requirement, however, for any selected materialfrom which the tab is formed, is that it must have suflicient rigidityto normally maintain its shape when applied to the wristband to resistnormal wear from movement occasioned with wristbands. The materials, atthe same time, must be capable of receiving printed indicia directly onits face and have sufficient malleability to allow the legs to be bentin the manner described in reference to the drawings of FIGS. 2, 3, and4, and to allow hand bending of the main body to conform with thecurvature of the band.

While one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, itwill be apparent that other adaptations and modifications can be madewithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed:

In combination, a wristband adapted for wearing upon the wrist of awearer and a tab member mounted on said wristband, said tab memberhaving a main body mounted on the outer face of said wristband with thelongitudinal edges of the main body being parallel with the longitudinaledges of said wristband, legs transversely extending outwardly from theends of each of said longitudinal edges of said main body, and indiciaprinted directly onto the outside face of the main body whereby the tabmember with indicia is composed of a single integral structure, saidlegs being folded over the rear side of said wristband to affix saidmain body thereto, said wristband having a 3 curvature corresponding tothe outer exterior curvature of the wrist of a wearer, said main bodyformed with a curvature corresponding to the curvature of said Wristbandand in which the main body is formed of material having sufficientmalleability to allow the curvature to be changed with changingcurvature requirements of said wristband.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 616,653 12/1898 Bowen 63-3 X2,060,055 10/ 1936 Eichelsdoefer 40-21 X IAnson 40-330 Shinkle 40-21 XMuehlbauer 40-21 X Brunengraber 40-21 X Mattes 40-21 Great Britain.

10 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. W. I. CONTRERAS, AssistantExaminer.

